Folding and stacking chair

ABSTRACT

A folding and stacking chair including a pair of U-shaped members and a seat. The first U-shaped member serves as the front legs at the open end thereof and as a support for the chair back at the closed end. The second U-shaped member serves as the back legs at the open end thereof and is articulated to said first Ushaped member. The seat is also articulated with the first Ushaped member along the same axis as the first articulation. The seat is mounted so as to unfold as far as the cross member of the second U-shaped member, connecting the back legs, said cross member also providing lateral support.

United States Patent 1191 Rodrigo Dec. 3, 1974 FOLDING AND STACKING CHAIR 1,910,539 5/1933 Hambrook 297/57 [751 lnvemor= Ismael Rodrigo, Aim, 51333138? 21132? 382132??? :jiiijjijijjij: ZZZ/i? Afgemma 3,017,034 l/l962 1 161n..... 1 108/119 x AssigneeZ Rodrigo Disenos S-AIC-L, Buenos 3,695,687 lO/l972 Uyeda 1. 297/56 Aires, Argentina Primary ExaminerFrancis K. Zugel [22] Flled: July 1973 Attorney, Agent, or FirmBrowdy and Neimurk [21] Appl No.: 383,542

[5 7] ABSTRACT [30] Foreign Application P i it D t A folding and stacking chair including a pair of U- Aug. 7, 1972 Argentina 1. 243465 Shaped members and a Seat- The first U'ShaPed ber serves as the front legs at the open end thereof 52 us. 01 297/56, 108/119, 248/164 and as a Support for the chair back at the clsed 51 Int. Cl. A476 4/44 The sewnd U'shaped membr as the legs [58] Field of Search 297/55 56, 57 52, 47 at the open end thereof and 1s artlculated to said first 297/16 17 3}, 23 58; 108/118, 119; U-shaped member. The seat is also articulated with 248/164, 432 the first U-shaped member along the same axis as the first articulation. The seat is mounted so as to unfold [56] References Cited as far as the cross member of the second U-shaped UNITED STATES PATENTS member, connecting the back legs, said cross member also providing lateral support. 688,623 12/1901 Forry.... 248/164 1,424,031 7/1922 Peters 297/56 Claims, 8 Drawing Figures PATENTE EEC 3 i974 SHEET 10F 2 FOLDING AND STACKING CHAIR FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to" folding chairs and, more particularly, to folding chairs of extremely simple design which also may be stacked when in unfolded condition.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION One type of prior art folding and stacking chairs generally contains a U-shaped member which supports the back and has the front legs at the ends of its parallel sides. The sides of the U-shaped member are articulated with the back legs and are provided with a means of support for the surface of the seat which is also appropriately articulated for folding.

In forming the structure of a chair like the one above, it is generally necessary for the parts to articulate at more than 1 point ad hoe. In order to support the unfolded structure, it must be protected with cross members to reduce the considerable bending moment which develops at a distance from the legs. In other words, regardless of the solutions previously known and-employed, the inclusion of such cross members does not mean that the chair can be stacked without folding. When this chair is to be folded, there will be an increase in the complexity of the mechanism.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION To overcome all of'these shortcomings, the folding and stacking chair which is the subject of the present invention has been devised, in contrast to what is already known, offering a structural solution in that one of its parts has a multiple function. The chair has a central cross member which. besides connecting its back legs, simultaneously acts as a support for the seat which is a panel articulated with the U-shaped member.

In this manner it is possible to achieve a chair structure with a minimum of material, eliminating cross members and ensuring a minimum amount of mechanisms since, as can be seen, hinges or guides have been eliminated as well as the articulationwhich another type of folding chair structure may have. Furthermore, the condition of being stackable derives from the same elimination of cross members which, in extreme cases, can prevent this feature from being included.

In its structural and functional details, the folding and stacking chair may be said to be essentially characterized by a pair of U-shaped members and a seat. The first U-shaped member supports the back of the chair at the closed end thereof and the sides of the member at the open end serve as front legs. The sides of the second U-shaped member at the open end thereof serve as the back legs of the chair. The two U-shaped members are articulated to one another and the seat is also articulated thereto along the same axis as the first articulation. The seat is mounted so as to unfold as far as the cross member of the second U-shaped member connecting the back legs, said cross member also providing lateral support.

For the purpose of improving understanding, the following detailed description is given as an effort to disclose a sample of a preferable and unlimited practical embodiment which together with variations of the embodiment in one of its structural components, is shown in the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a chair when unfolded.

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the same chair when folded.

FIG. 3 is a detail drawingshowing the arrangement of the articulations between'the individual parts.

FIG. 4 is a detail drawing of a second embodiment of one of the parts of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a detail drawing of a third embodiment of one of the parts of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a detail drawing of a fourth embodiment of one of the parts of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a perspective viewof a detail of another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a detail of yet another embodiment of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In said drawings, the same key numbers are used for all of the parts that are the same or are corresponding parts. 1

First of all, as can be seen in FIGS. I to 3, the folding chair which is the subject of this invention consists of a pair of members 1 and 2 doubled over to form U- shapes and a seat 3, which together enjoy an articular relationship at points 4 and 5, located on the sides of said seat surface.

Member 1, divided at articulation points 4 and 5, defines the front legs Ia and 112, respectively of the chair and the back frame 1c which in turn supports the back Id.

Member 2, also connected at these points of articulation, forms back legs 2a and 2b and the connecting frame 2c which in turn acts as a cross member and support for said seat surface 3 which, as can be seen in the sample embodiment, is in the form of a panel.

The definitive design of this member 2, as shown in FIGS. 4 to 8, can be varied selectively and according to need, as follows: it can be bent and articulated directly (FIG. 3) or the cross member or support 2c and its integral legs 2a and 2b can be independent parts which form'said member2; in the latter case, the parts I are linked by means of a pair of intermediate connecting elements such as 6 and 7 or 8 and 9 (FIGS. 4 and 5), which at the same time and in both cases, are also articulated with member 5; it can be fastened firmly to the cross member or support 2c to give the configuration of a tray with projecting ends 10 and 11 (FIG. 6) connected to said legs and at the same time also suitable for establishing the articulated relationship with the rest of the integral parts of the chair in question; finally, it can be in the form of a U-shaped member 2 with projecting ends or ears for articulation I2 and 13 (FIG. 7). The projections or ears can be made by flattening the curved pieces or they may even be independent and have a rigid connection to said piece in accordance with the version in FIG. 8 in which corresponding members 14 and 15 are the independent projections, and the assembly is composedpof said U-shaped members, said seat and the respective projections articulated together.

It should be noted that in all cases, to allow unfolding, the cross member or support 2c is mounted in aplane perpendicular to the ideal vertical plane passing through the plane of the articulation of the chair or optionally in a plane at a slight angle with respect to the cited vertical plane and in either case must also be at the correct angle in order to support seat surface 3 when the chair is unfolded.

While a full and complete description of the invention has been set forth in accordance with the dictates of the patent statutes, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the basic embodiment herein shown. Accordingly, modifications may be made without departing from the invention.

What is claimed is:

l. A folding and stacking chair comprising:

a first U-shaped member having two parallel arms and a cross member at one end thereof, the open ends of said arms serving as the front legs of the chair and the cross member serving as the back of the chair;

a second U-shaped member having two parallel arms and a cross member at one end thereof, the open ends of said arms serving as the rear legs of the chair, said second U-shaped member being articulated to said first U-shaped member such that said second U-shaped member is pivotable about a fixed axis passing through the arms of said first U- shaped member; and

a seat articulated to said first U-shaped member so as to be pivotable about said fixed axis, wherein said cross member of said second U-shaped member is parallel to said axis and is spaced therefrom and wherein said cross member supports said seat in a generallyrhorizontal position when the chair is in an unfolded position.

2. A folding and stacking chair in accordance with claim 1 wherein the arms of the said second U-shaped member are curved to an angle approximately perpendicular to the plane of said arms and wherein said curves are near the cross member end of said arms, and further wherein the points of articulation of said second U-shaped member with said first U-shaped member are located at the curved portion of said second U-shaped member.

3. A folding and stacking chair in accordance with claim 2 wherein said cross member is an integral part of said second U-shaped member.

4. A folding and stacking chair in accordance with claim 2 wherein said cross member is an independent part connected to the arms of said second U-shaped member by intermediate connecting means.

5. A folding and stacking chair in accordance with claim 4 wherein said cross member is in the shape of a tray and wherein said intermediate connecting means comprise projections integral with said tray connecting with said arms.

6. A folding and stacking chair in accordance with claim 1 wherein said cross member is in the same plane as the arms of said second U-shaped member and wherein said second U-shaped member further includes projections connected to said arms near said cross member end thereof and wherein the points of articulation of said second U-shaped member with said first U-shaped member are on said projections on the end thereof remote from said arms of said second U- shaped member.

7. A folding and stacking chair in accordance with claim 1 wherein the arms of said second U-shaped member are outside of the arms of said first U-shaped member and wherein said seat is positioned inside the arms of said first U-shaped member.

8. A folding and stacking chair in accordance with claim 6 wherein said projections are integral with the arms of said second U-shaped member.

9. A folding and stacking chair in accordance with claim 6 wherein said projections are independent of said second U-shaped members and are rigidly connected to the arms thereof. 

1. A folding and stacking chair comprising: a first U-shaped member having two parallel arms and a cross member at one end thereof, the open ends of said arms serving as the front legs of the chair and the cross member serving as the back of the chair; a second U-shaped member having two parallel arms and a cross member at one end thereof, the open ends of said arms serving as the rear legs of the chair, said second U-shaped member being articulated to said first U-shaped member such that said second U-shaped member is pivotable about a fixed axis passing through the arms of said first U-shaped member; and a seat articulated to said first U-shaped member so as to be pivotable about said fixed axis, wherein said cross member of said second U-shaped member is parallel to said axis and is spaced therefrom and wherein said cross member supports said seat in a generally horizontal position when the chair is in an unfolded position.
 2. A folding and stacking chair in accordance with claim 1 wherein the arms of the said second U-shaped member are curved to an angle approximately perpendicular to the plane of said arms and wherein said curves are near the cross member end of said arms, and further wherein the points of articulation of said second U-shaped member with said first U-shaped member are located at the curved portion of said second U-shaped member.
 3. A folding and stacking chair in accordance with claim 2 wherein said cross member is an integral part of said second U-shaped member.
 4. A folding and stacking chair in accordance with claim 2 wherein said cross member is an independent part connected to the arms of said second U-shaped member by intermediate connecting means.
 5. A folding and stacking chair in accordance with claim 4 wherein said cross member is in the shape of a tray and wherein said intermediate connecting means comprise projections integral with said tray connecting with said arms.
 6. A folding and stacking chair in accordance with claim 1 wherein said cross member is in the same plane as the arms of said second U-shaped member and wherein said second U-shaped member further includes projections connected to said arms near said cross member end thereof and wherein the points of articulation of said second U-shaped member with said first U-shaped member are on said projections on the end thereof remote from said arms of said second U-shaped member.
 7. A folding and stacking chair in accordance with claim 1 wherein the arms of said second U-shaped member are outside of the arms of said first U-shaped member and wherein said seat is positioned inside the arms of said first U-shaped member.
 8. A folding and stacking chair in accordance with claim 6 wherein said projections are integral with the arms of said second U-shaped member.
 9. A folding and stacking chair in accordance with claim 6 wherein said projections are independent of said second U-shaped members and are rigidly connected to the arms thereof. 